Spring is finally here and boy, am I ready.  I mean, it’s still hailing and snowing and a bit chilly but there have been a few days of just splendid spring about.  With spring of course, comes the opening of the famers market.  This week I hardened my resolve and braved the Southern Oregon rains to get myself and my basket over to my local market. Nothing could stand in my way! I was on a mission… a mission for green garlic.   There are a few vegetables and fruits that are fleeting in each season, ones that grace us with their majestic beauty for only a few weeks at a time and then they are gone, green garlic is one of those vegetables. You see, we only get it for a moment because it grows into garlic! But right before the main bulb slits into many and the garlic we know and use year round starts to form, we get the special treat of the young mild green garlic.  You can use it in any recipe that calls for garlic and it will give just the whisper of garlic flavor to the dish.  But what I love is enjoying it in ways you don’t get to when it matures into garlic.

Today I am sharing two ways I like to enjoy this gem of early spring.  One is simple and divine, Roasted Green Garlic.  It has a mild and delicate flavor when roasted with just a splash of olive oil and sea salt and makes a divine side dish.  Or you can take a few more steps after roasting and process it into a most flavorful pesto.  The pesto can be eaten slathered on bread or spread over the meat or fish of your choice or tossed into al dente pasta…or just eat it with a spoon when no one is watching.  Any way you serve it, this pesto is sure to bring spring to your lips!

You will need:

For Roasted Green Garlic:

1 bunch green garlic

Olive Oil

Salt to taste

Split the green garlic in long halves and arrange on a baking sheet, toss with olive oil and broil for 4 minutes or until brown, serve or make pesto

For Green Garlic Pesto:

The juice of half a lime

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup walnuts

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Salt to taste

Add the above roasted garlic to the ingredients above and mix with a food processor until a thick paste forms.  Serve on toast, pasta, roasted meat or boiled fish.  Cover and store in the fridge for 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Toasting your green garlic roasting,

Marcella Rose